Transparent candle



July 13, 1965 w. s. GORMAN. JR

Filed Aug. 26, 1963 INVENTOR. WILLIAM S. GORMAN JR. BY

nrTo ves s United States Patent 3,194,031 TRANSPARENT CANDLE William S.Gorman, .lr., Kansas City, Mo., assignor to Hallmark Cards,Incorporated, Kansas City, Mo., a corporation of Missouri Filed Aug. 26,1963, Ser. No. 304,402 4 Claims. (Cl. 67-22) This invention relates tonovel decorative articles of manufacture, and more particularly toburnable transparent candles.

In recent years, the old art of candle making has been expanded toencompass the production of candles and pseudo-candles having a greatvariety of shapes, sizes and colors for use primarily as ornamentaldecorations. Some are burned for light, as at formal dinner parties, andothers are intended to be purely decorative for adding to thefurnishings of a room. In the latter class are included ornaments shapedas conventional candles but constructed of materials which arenon-combustible, for example metal, wood or glass. Glass candles, ormore accurately pseudo-candles, are in demand for their light refractiveproperties which produce highly attractive and unusual effects in thisconfiguration. Glass candles, however, are obviously non-burnable andare, therefore, unsuitable in application-s which also requirecandlelight.

The principal objecst of the present invention are: to provide aburnable candle which is transparent; to provide such an article whichburns through the action of a centrally located wick in the same manneras the well known paraflin candle; to provide such a transparent candlewhich does not smoke excessively nor tend to burn in absence of a wick;to provide such an article which may be manufactured by processessimilar to those used in conventional paraffin candle manufacture; toprovide such a candle which displays unique and attractive ornamentaleffects when burning; and to provide such an article which is relativelyinexpensive to produce.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent fromthe following description taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings wherein are set forth by way of illustration and examplecertain embodiments of this invention.

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of a transparent burnable candle embodyingthis invention.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view through the candle of FIG.1 on a greatly enlarged scale particularly showing the wick in relationto the body portion.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary side elevation of a burning candle embodyingthis invention particularly showing the body material in a molten stateadjacent the flame and contained in a bowl-shaped body depression forwicking up in the manner of a conventional paraffin wax candle.

Referring to the drawings in more detail:

The reference numeral 1 generally indicates a transparent, burnablecandle embodying this invention. The candle 1 comprises a transparentbody 2, in the illustrated example having an elongated tapered shapewhich is narrower at the upper end 3 thereof than at the lower end 4. Awick 5 extends longitudinally centrally within the body 2 and projectsabove the upper end at 6 for ignition.

The transparent body 2 is composed of a hydrocarbon resin which musthave the following properties: (1) substantially transparent or crystalclear rather than the translucent character of paraflin wax orpolyethylene; (2) thermoplastic to the extent that it will easily meltunder the temperature conditions created adjacent a small flame; (3) lowcohesive energy density for proper wicking-up to the combustion area;(4) low crystalline structure to provide uninterrupted lighttransmission and the consequent lens effect sought; and (5) not producean ice unpleasant odor or excessive smoke (soot) when burned bywicking-up.

With respect to requirement (5), it has been determined that thetendency of hydrocarbon resins to smoke under these conditions isparticularly associated with the chemical structure thereof. Researchhas indicated that resins which are substantially free of unsaturatedaromatic rings and also substantially free of doublebonded carbon smokethe least but still smoke excessively for consumer acceptance.

The most satisfactory body resins found have included a carbonyl bondedoxygen or ester. Resins best meeting the requirements set forth forindividual use as body resins were found to be hydrogenatedpolycycloalkanes (commercially marketed as Nevillite, Neville ChemicalCompany, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), sucrose acetate isobutyrate,hydrogenated abietic acid, and polyvinyl acetate. It was determined thatthe inclusion of a suitable catalyst material in the body resin would,to a satisfactory degree, eliminate the smoking problem; however, thecatalysts which provided effective results invariably were found to behighly colored metal-containing compositions which adversely influencedthe transparent properties of the body resin. It was then discoveredthat the catalyst could be included in the wick prior to fabricating thecandle and thereby produce the desired smoke inhibition withoutaffecting the transparent properties of the body. Catalyst materialswhich have been found satisfactory for individual use for this purposeinclude: dicyclopentadienyl iron (ferrocene), cobalt naphthanate, leadnaphthanate, and ferric acetyl acetonate. These catalysts are apparentlyactive in promoting the oxidation of carbon in an open flame.

The wick 5 is of commercially available absorbent cotton sold for use asparaffin candle wicking material and comprising cotton braid which issuitably treated so as to be self-snufling, that is, prevent anexcessively long ash at the burning tip. The catalyst may be included inthe wick by any suitable method, a preferred method I being theformation of a mixture or suspension of the catalyst in highconcentration with the liquefied resin making up the body 2 and dippingthe wick thereinto whereupon the material is absorbed and intimatelyassociated with the wick. The treated wick is then withdrawn and used ina conventional manner in manufacturing the candle, primarily by dippingor casting.

When the improved candle is burned, as illustrated in FIG. 3, thethermoplastic body material melts as at 7 adjacent the flame 8 but isgenerally maintained within a bowl-shaped depression 9 formed by theadjacent solid body resin 2. The liquid body material 7, due to the lowcohesive energy density, is easily wicked up by the wick 5 and burns inthe ash portion 10 of the wick in the presence of the catalyst 11 whichaids in preventing the formation of a substantial quantity of smoke orsoot. The transparency of the body 2 in the presence of the flame 8produces a very attractive and unusual decorative effect.

It is to be understood that while one form of this invention has beenillustrated and described, it is not to be limited to the specific formor arrangement of parts herein described and shown except insofar assuch limitations are included in the claims.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A transparent burnable smoke formation resisting candle comprising, abody having an upper end and a wick extending longitudinally within saidbody and projecting above said upper end, said body being composedessentially of a hydrocarbon resin characterized as substantiallytransparent thermoplastic low crystalline low cohesive energy densitymaterials substantially free of unsaturated aromatic rings anddouble-bonded carbon, said Q) wick being of absorbent material treatedby inclusion therewith of a catalyst material characterized as active inpromoting the oxidation of carbon in an open flame.

2. The candle as set forth in claim 1 wherein said resin is selectedfrom the group consisting of hydrogenated polycycloalkanes, sucroseacetate isobutyrate, hydrogenated abietic acid, and polyvinyl acetate.

3. The candle as set forth in claim 1 wherein said catalyst material isselected from the group consisting of dicyclopentadienyl iron(ferrocene), cobalt naphthanate, lead naphthanate, and ferric acetylacetonate.

4. A transparent burnable smoke formation resisting candle comprising,an elongated body having an upper end and a wick extendinglongitudinally centrally within plastic low crystalline low cohesiveenergy density materials substantially free of unsaturated aromaticrings and double-bonded carbon, said wick being of self-snuflingabsorbent cotton braid treated by inclusion therewith of a catalystmaterial selected from the group consisting of dicyclopentadienyl iron(ferrocene), cobalt naphthanate, lead naphthanate, and ferric acetylacetonate.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 984,029 2/11Scheuble 6722 1,959,164 5/34 Jaeger 6722 2,184,666 12/39 Fredericks 67222,807,524 9/57 Tench 44-75 3,130,214 4/64 Cofiield 447.5 X

FREDERICK L. MATTESON, 111., Primary Examiner.

EDWARD J. MICHAEL, Examiner.

1. A TRANSPARENT BURNABLE SMOKE FORMATION RESISTING CANDLE COMPRISING, ABODY HAVING AN UPPER END AND A WICK EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY WITHIN SAIDBODY AND PROJECTING ABOVE SAID UPPER END, SAID BODY BEING COMPOSEDESSENTIALLY OF A HYDROCARBON RESIN CHARACTERIZED AS SUBSTANTIALLYTRANSPARENT THERMOPLASTIC LOW CRYSTALLINE LOW COHESIVE ENERGY DENSITYMATERIALS SUBSTANTIALLY FREE OF UNSATURATED AROMATIC RINGS ANDDOUBLE-BONDED CARBON, SAID WICK BEING OF ABSORBENT MATERIAL TREATED BYINCLUSION THEREWITH OF A CATALYST MATERIAL CHARACTERIZED AS ACTIVE INPROMOTING THE OXIDATION OF CARBON IN AN OPEN FLAME